Camera module

• US 10,661,725 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2019
• Issued: 05/26/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Okuda, Sho, Kazama, Takeshi, Furutake, Yasuki, Shimizu, Nobuhisa
• Primary Examiner(s): Ye, Lin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morehead, III, John H
• Application Number:
  US16/506,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20190329721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 322 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/04 Mounting of cameras operative during drive; Arrangement of controls thereof relative to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2011/0026 Windows, e.g. windscreen
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 13/02 Telephoto objectives, i.e. systems of the type + - in which the distance from the front vertex to the image plane is less than the equivalent focal length
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 11/045 Lens hoods or shields
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 17/02 Bodies
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 19/22 Double cameras
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/45 for generating image signals from two or more image sensors being of different type or operating in different modes, e.g. with a CMOS sensor for moving images in combination with a charge-coupled device [CCD] for still images
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/51 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/55 Optical parts specially adapted for electronic image sensors; Mounting thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/57 Mechanical or electrical details of cameras or camera modules specially adapted for being embedded in other devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/698 for achieving an enlarged field of view, e.g. panoramic image capture

Abstract

A camera module, which is mounted on an inside of a front windshield of a vehicle and configured to image an external environment of the vehicle, includes multiple lens units on which an optical image of the external environment is incident, individually, and an imaging system to generate an outside image of the external environment by imaging through each of the lens units, individually.

Claims

1. A camera module configured to be mounted on an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:

a plurality of lens units having optical axes, respectively, wherein the optical axes are different from each other, the angles of view of the plurality of lens units are different from each other;

an imaging system to perform imaging individually through the plurality of lens units and to generate an outside image of the external environment; and

a hood defining an imaging space, which is to restrict incidence of light on the plurality of lens units from an outside of the imaging target range, wherein

one of the plurality of lens units is a wide angle unit having an angle of view defined with the wide angle lens,

another of the plurality of lens units is a narrow angle unit having an angle of view narrower than that of the wide angle unit,

an end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side is located outside the imaging space,

the hood includes;

a base wall portion to be located to face the windshield via the imaging space; and

a side wall portion raised from the base wall portion at a lateral side of the imaging space and inclined laterally outward correspondingly to an angle of view of the wide angle unit from a periphery of the wide angle unit toward an external environment side.

3. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein a common exposure window is provided as an opening and exposes the wide angle unit and the narrow angle unit to the imaging space.

5. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the end of the narrow angle unit on the external environment side includes a reflection restriction portion to restrict light reflection.

7. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of lens units further include a telescopic unit having an angle of view narrower than that of the narrow angle unit.

9. The camera module according to claim 7, wherein a common exposure window is provided as an opening and exposes the wide angle unit, the narrow angle unit, and the telescopic unit to the imaging space.

11. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

the side wall portion includes a pair of side wall portions on both of lateral sides of the imaging space.

13. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein the side wall portion is located to spread along an angle of view of the wide angle unit.

15. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

under a definition that a set of the plurality of lens units, in which angles of view overlap with each other, is a noted set,

depths of recognition field of the plurality of lens units, which belong to the noted set, overlap with each other, in which a far point of another of the noted set is between a near point and a far point of one of the noted set in the external environment, and

each of the far point of the one and the far point of the other defines a limit position of image recognition which is implemented by imaging through corresponding one of the plurality of lens units.

17. The camera module according to claim 1, wherein

angles of view of at least two of the plurality of lens units overlap with each other within a distance of 10 meters from the camera module.

2. A camera module configured to be mounted on an inside of a windshield of a vehicle and to image an external environment of the vehicle, the camera module comprising:

a plurality of lens units having optical axes, respectively, wherein the optical axes are different from each other;

an imaging system to perform imaging individually through the plurality of lens units and to generate an outside image of the external environment; and

a hood defining an imaging space, which is to restrict incidence of light on the plurality of lens units from an outside of the imaging target range, wherein

one of the plurality of lens units is defined as a first angle unit having an angle of view wider than or equal to that of a remaining plurality of lens units other than the one of the plurality of lens units,

one of the remaining plurality of lens units is located outside the imaging space,

the hood includes;

a base wall portion to be located to face the windshield via the imaging space; and

a side wall portion raised from the base wall portion at a lateral side of the imaging space and elongated laterally outward correspondingly to an angle of view of the first angle unit from a periphery of the first angle unit toward an external environment side.

4. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein a common exposure window is provided as an opening and exposes the first angle unit and one of the remaining plurality of lens units to the imaging space.

6. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein the end of the one of the remaining plurality of lens units on the external environment side includes a reflection restriction portion to restrict light reflection.

8. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

another of the remaining plurality of lens units has an angle of view narrower than that of the one of the remaining plurality of lens units.

10. The camera module according to claim 8, wherein a common exposure window is provided as an opening and exposes the first angle unit, one of the remaining plurality of lens units, and the other of the remaining plurality of lens units to the imaging space.

12. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

the side wall portion includes a pair of side wall portions on both of lateral sides of the imaging space.

14. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein the side wall portion is located to spread along an angle of view of the first angle unit.

16. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

under a definition that a set of the plurality of lens units, in which angles of view overlap with each other, is a noted set,

depths of recognition field of the plurality of lens units, which belong to the noted set, overlap with each other, in which a far point of another of the noted set is between a near point and a far point of one of the noted set in the external environment, and

each of the far point of the one and the far point of the other defines a limit position of image recognition which is implemented by imaging through corresponding one of the plurality of lens units.

18. The camera module according to claim 2, wherein

angles of view of at least two of the plurality of lens units overlap with each other within a distance of 10 meters from the camera module.